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1912 

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THE AMERICAN BOY 










DEDICATED 

TO THE AMERICAN YOUTH 


HO like him will refrain from the use of 
tobacco or spirituous liquors, that they 
may succeed in business and have 
money to educate themselves by travel and study. 



June, 1912 














































« 










































































THE AMERICAN BOY 


AND LETTERS TO HIS MOTHER 

Paul Ellis was the eldest of three brothers. 
He early showed a desire to make his own toys 
and run his own affairs. When he was three 
years old his parents moved to the suburbs of 
a large city. The week previous to their mov¬ 
ing he was sent to the store to get some flour; 
he put the small bag on his sled, and when near 
home it rolled off, and broke open and some of 
its contents spilled on the sidewalk. He went 
home with what was left in the bag and came 
back with a brush and dust pan and cleaned 
it up, to the amusement of neighbors that were 
looking on. 

The large yard of his city home was his de¬ 
light. He had a store at one end and a garden 
at the other and would cart things across it. 
His wooden stool turned upside down was his 
wagon; the things would slide off between its 


6 


The American Boy 


legs, but he very patiently laid them cross-wise 
so they would help each other to stay on. 

One day he went to the grocery store with 
his father. Many questions were asked him. 
It broke the charms of his yard. He had to 
pass the terminal of a street car to get to the 
store and as it stood there ten minutes mounted 
its back platform with his sled. The conduc¬ 
tor put him off; the third time he did this, the 
conductor let him stay on and took him to a 
station two miles toward the city, then set him 
off and went back without him. 

Paul immediately started after the street 
car, dragging his sled until he reached the cor¬ 
ner near his home and returned to it very tired. 

One day his busy mother looked in vain for 
him and asked a passing neighbor what they 
did when a child was lost? He replied, “We 
never had a child lost, but we will help you 
seek for him and drag the pond for you.” Every 
family sent out someone and toward night Paul 
was found asleep with his sled in the crook of 
a fence two miles from home; tears had 



The American Boy 


7 


streaked his dusty face. He was then sent to 
a private school which his elder sister attended, 
and they had no more trouble with him. This 
was before the time of kindergartens. 

When Paul was eleven years old he was sent 
to a military school, just started, by a teacher 
from the Boston Latin School. Paul's seat was 
in front of two boys whose father was a trus¬ 
tee, and they at once began to pull his hair and 
call him names. One day when the teacher 
was near by, Paul rose up and struck one of 
them in the face. The teacher said “What is 
that for?” Paul said, “I want you to help me 
fight these boys, I cannot do it alone, they 
plague me all the time.” The teacher said, “I 
will tell your father about this.” He came 
home crying. His father went at once to the 
teacher and said, “My boy shall be no other 
boys’ fag, if you believe in it your school is 
doomed.” The teacher replied “This is like 
Eaton and Harrow and they allow it; I cannot 
stop it.” Soon an English teacher came on and 
gave an account of “fags” in these schools; 



8 


The American Boy 


told how one boy had to stay during vacation 
and study and made a path around a hill where 
he walked every day. The trustees asked this 
Boston teacher to resign, which he did. An¬ 
other was employed, but he was not a success. 
The school was given up and used as an Ar¬ 
mory, then for cold storage and was accident¬ 
ally burned with all its contents. 

When Garfield was elected President, Paul 
enjoyed the excitement. He had a company of 
ten boys who carried torch lights. They also 
had a drum and fife and many carried oyster 
cans to drum on, held by a string around their 
necks. On the night of the election they had 
a grand rally in his back yard with the servants 
of his home and neighbors to applaud their 
speeches. 



The American Boy 


9 


CHAPTER II. 

College Life. 

At fifteen years of age he went to a coeduca¬ 
tional college with his sister, four years older. 
He was soon made one of the editors of the col¬ 
lege paper. He there had the reading of the 
New York Daily Sun, and has taken it ever 
since, for it gives the most news for the least 
money. 

A preparatory department was added the 
year Paul went and he had a special teacher, 
as he was the only one in the senior class. He 
wrote home “all the drill work in languages 
had to be unlearned, because the methods were 
different, and they advocate sending children 
early to these schools.” His mother visited 
there and was surprised at the quietness of 
Paul at the table. She therefore proposed he 
go to the Fraternity house, which he did. 
There, he met a Japanese, and boys from 



10 


The American Boy 


every state in the Union, and many from Eu¬ 
rope. He sent a postal card around the world, 
giving its route, and it came back. He then 
had it framed with glass on both sides of it. 

He entered into the freshman hazing, but his 
clothes were torn and he said it was very bru¬ 
tal and he would have nothing to do with the 
sophomore hazing. This made the boys angry 
—they swore he should take part. One noon 
day, as he went to dinner, a carriage drove up 
and some one within told him and his chum to 
have a ride. They got in and were carried ten 
miles out of town and detained until after the 
sophomore hazing. This escapade was told to 
the faculty and Paul headed a paper, stating all 
the circumstances, but the .faculty said, “Every¬ 
one, who has gone out of town, in this hazing, 
shall be suspended six months.” Paul went 
home. In a few days a letter came from the 
President of the College saying, “We have 
looked up your record; it is good. We invite 
you to return and no questions will be asked.” 
A merchant of the college town also called on 



7 he America?i Boy 


11 


Paul’s father and told him to send the boy 
back; therefore to please his father he returned 
for only one term to show that he could. It 
was at this time a young man whose father 
was very rich, said to Paul, “Go with me to 
Germany, I will pay all your expenses, I want 
company.” Paul’s parents consented and gave 
him five hundred dollars to return if he did not 
wish to stay. 

He promised his mother he would not learn 
to drink beer, and in a few weeks he wrote her 
“the servants’ food is only what they take 
from the tables they serve, and although we 
have five or six courses, I do not get enough 
to eat. If I hesitate at all they take up the dish 
and bring another. Everything is full of olive 
oil; I do not wonder people drink beer, it is 
because they are hungry.” In three months he 
returned to America, but, that we may know 
something more of this visit I insert one of his 
letters to his mother. 



12 


The American Boy 


Berlin, Germany, 
Sept. 27, 1888. 

My Dear Brother Willie and Folks:— 

I am now settled here in a German boarding 
house called “Pension;” we are on Fredericke 
Strasse, near the center of the city. Last 
week I went through a large building called 
the “old museum,” which contains some splen¬ 
did statues, taken from the ruins around Rome 
and Greece. One very fine statue, of a boy in 
prayer, was pulled out of the bottom of the 
Tiber and was purchased for ten thousand dol¬ 
lars. The museum contains many very valu¬ 
able paintings by the old masters, such as Ru¬ 
bens, Titian, Van Dyke and others, but they 
do not interest me much; I would as soon see 
a lot of “tea-store” chromos, for they are too 
much alike, mythological subjects and madon¬ 
nas, so I went out to the National Gallery, 
which contains modern paintings, and there 
saw some beautiful landscapes, war scenes and 
in fact as many beautiful paintings as I ever 



The American Boy 


13 


saw in my life. But while I cannot help but 
admire this beautiful city, with its wonderful 
art galleries, clean pavements, its universities, 
libraries, and fine police system, I do not ad¬ 
mire the tyranny, it might be called, which 
compels every young man to serve in the army 
for three years. The tyranny which keeps 25,- 
000 soldiers daily in Berlin, the tyranny which 
makes the people support this army, the King 
(Kaiser in German) to support the dukes and 
lords. The people are really bankrupt, there is 
not a store here as large as Hower and Hig- 
bee’s in Cleveland. Berlin is full of thousands 
of little stores, each storekeeper making 
enough to live on and that is all. We do not 
see here the elegant private carriage one sees 
in Cleveland. I have not seen over five or six 
private carriages; the people are too poor; they 
are eaten up by taxes to support the army, the 
King and his royal relations. 

All is glitter here on the outside, but what is 
the inside? America after all is the only coun¬ 
try worth living in. We have at our table Frau 



14 


The American Boy 


Van Shack and her two daughters, and we talk 
more or less German at the table. I am study¬ 
ing right along the Dutch and making some 
progress. Friday I went to the old castle and 
went through the gorgeous rooms in which 
Frederick the Great held his levees. This is the 
old palace. (Kaiser William lives in the new 
palace). It is an immense square building of 
stone, of 600 rooms; the rooms have polished 
hard-wood floors and we had to put on large 
cloth slippers, to wear while walking around. 
The ceilings and doors were lined with gilt and 
gold, and were really grand. I stood under the 
same chandelier under which Luther defended 
himself at the conclave at Worms and I squat¬ 
ted down in a royal chair in which Kings and 
Queens of Prussia have sat for the last hun¬ 
dred years. One of the keepers saw me and 
made me jump up pretty lively, but I did not 
see any difference in feeling, than I would sit¬ 
ting down in an ordinary American chair. 

This old palace was the most interesting 
place I have yet been to. I also went to the 



7 he American Boy 


15 


Arsenal, a building devoted to the relics of the 
various wars, containing guns, and swords of 
two hundred years ago. I do not like the cli¬ 
mate here, it is very damp and cold and a day 
of sunshine such as we have in America is 
very rare; it is a good place to take cold in. 
These German people here are a very large 
race, and the women are nearly all tall and 
strong, but although I have been here a week 
I have not seen one German girl with a pretty 
face. They are all strong and healthy looking, 
with fine figures, dress well but without taste. 
My health aside from a cold is very good. Mr. 
Howard and myself have found a gymnasium, 
which is free, and we shall go there and exer¬ 
cise twice a week. While I am here I am going 
to study the German language at least three 
hours a day and try to learn to speak it; in fact, 
I can now talk enough to make myself under¬ 
stood. I retire early, for, by the time night 
comes, I am rather tired of sight seeing and 
studying. 

Berlin is a modern city and seems very much 



16 


The America?i Boy 


like Chicago in many respects. I shall write 
often and keep you posted on what I am doing 
and hope all are well at home. My address is 
American Exchange, Unter den Linden. 

Your affectionate brother, 

PAUL. 

After Paul Ellis had returned from Germany 
he thought to himself, what had I better do, 
now, and he knew how popular the lecture 
course had been with such men as J. G. Hol¬ 
land and Henry Ward Beecher, so he wrote to 
a number of men who had appeared on this 
platform, but from all got the reply, “that they 
had been engaged for more than a year in ad¬ 
vance” He then wrote to a mesmerist, who had 
pleased the students and faculty at college, who 
accepted, after having sent testimonials and 
stated his price, which was two-thirds of the 
money for admission. Paul with one-third was 
to pay for the rent of the Hall, advertisements, 
and all other expenses. A minister of the town 
said to him, “I have heard your man; get the 



The American Boy 


17 


largest place you can, and I will help you fill it.” 
He took one at two hundred dollars a week, 
asked twenty-five cents admission, and the hall 
was packed every night for six weeks. Paul’s, 
mother said, “Invite him to dinner, I want to 
know him.” He came but could not mesmer¬ 
ize her; he said she had too strong a will. He 
was also invited to meet the medical faculty 
and members of the Bar, and to them he 
could not explain its power. 

Paul’s mother attended one night. About 
twelve were on the plat,form. One of them 
would go into the audience and take a shawl 
from a woman, then a hat from another, put 
them on, then go up on the front of the stage 
and sing an old fashioned song, then the others 
would step forward and sing with him. The 
Professor would lift up his hands and all would 
stop, when he put down his hands all would 
sing again. He would show them Niagara 
Falls, and they would say, how wonderful, 
what a roar. Then Paul’s mother did not 
wonder that people would go night after night 



18 


The American Boy 


to see and hear it all. Paul had excursion rates 
on railroads. One man came to Paul and said 
■“I have brought six from out of town and will 
pay you ten dollars to admit them,” and Paul 
:said, “I am not allowed to give standing room, 
nor can I take more than the regular price.” 

One night Paul came home with a satchel 
full of 25 and 50 cent pieces, and laid them on 
his mother’s bed, and said, “See here, papa told 
me he would give me $5.00 if I would make it 
pay. I took this in, all in one night. In three 
months I shall give to the professor eight 
thousand dollars and have one thousand for 
myself clear of all expenses. They next went 
to Detroit and he hired a larger hall, but a 
crowd draws a crowd and the time of year was 
not so favorable. 



'The American Boy 


19 


CHAPTER III. 

Real Estate. 

They then went to Chicago but the Profes- 
sor was followed by theatre-managers who of¬ 
fered twice the salary Paul gave. He then re¬ 
turned home and arranged to have a dime 
museum. All sorts of freaks came to see him, 
and Paul’s mother interfered and Paul's father 
gave him one thousand dollars if he would go 
into the real estate business. He did, and soon 
opened up a street where he planted small 
trees and laid a two-board sidewalk, and put in 
gas and water connections. He sold only to 
school teachers or to insurance men. His lots 
were 50 x 150 for one hundred and fifty dol¬ 
lars. Five dollars down and five each month. 
Paul’s brothers were curious to see how it 
would work out, for real estate men were ask¬ 
ing more for their lots nearby, but Paul had a 



20 


The American Boy 


girl who appreciated his every effort and would 
go out with him and would suggest and en¬ 
courage him, (that little girl has been his in¬ 
spiration ever since). In 1892 they were mar¬ 
ried by her father, who is a clergyman, the cold¬ 
est day in January, in a coast town of Maine. 
They came to a hotel on Commonwealth Av¬ 
enue, Boston, and by telegrams received the 
congratulations of relatives and friends. Both 
were good travelers, for May had taken the 
place of her mother, who died when she was fif¬ 
teen, and had helped her father to build church¬ 
es, for which work he was famous. It is a fact 
that the children of ministers are the most 
wealthy in New York City. They have learned 
to put every dollar where it will do the most 
good. 



The American Boy 


21 


CHAPTER IV. 

Goes to New York. 

Paul in his real estate had two allotments far 
apart; one was in the steel-mill district. Near 
it were many foreigners who had a love for 
beer. He saw, in a New York paper, a man 
would exchange two houses in Brooklyn for 
real estate in Paul’s city. Paul offered him one 
of these allotments of sixty-nine lots, ,for his 
two houses in Brooklyn. It was accepted, and 
deeds recorded. Paul begged his father, in his 
visit to New York, to look at these houses, on 
Green and Lafayette streets. He did, and re¬ 
ported they were 25 x 50 and rented to good 
respectable people. Then Paul said to his wife, 
“I am going to New York to see what I can 
do in real estate, and if favorable we will move 
there.” She waited anxiously to know the re¬ 
sult. He at last secured 137 acres at a cost of 



22 


The American Boy 


$137,0(30, the security to be the two houses in 
Brooklyn, and five thousand dollars his father 
gave him. It was an old farm with a colonial 
house in a large yard with trees, and about ten 
miles “as the crow flies” from New York, but 
much farther if you go by the elevated rail¬ 
road. After the first year they took up their 
residence in this house and found two friends 
willing to share their loneliness with them. 

Paul made great preparations for an auction- 
sale on Decoration Day. He gave free rides, 
free lunches and a brass band to play all day, 
and said all lawyers’ fees would be free, to pur¬ 
chasers. This is the report he made to his par¬ 
ents on that occasion, “My auction sale on 
Decoration Day was very successful, as I sold 
$17,000 dollars’ worth of lots. 

“This reduces my mortgage that much and 
makes a big saving on my interest, so that, tak¬ 
ing it all together, I feel very well satisfied. I 
now have paid $3,750 on taxes and interest and 
feel very much relieved, for it has been a great 
load to carry. I expect to do quite a business 



7he American Boy 


23 


in selling lots until snow comes. September 
and October have been my good months. We 
move into town Tuesday. Buildings are spring¬ 
ing up like mushrooms and we have quite a 
city now on the property, several new houses 
will be started the coming week. I think I 
am going to come out all right. I may not make 
as much profit as I expected. I think in a year 
I will have the heirs all paid off. It is cold and 
snow covers the ground and business is con¬ 
sequently dull. 

“April 30, 1906—Afn selling from two to 
three thousand dollars' worth of lots per week 
and we have some houses going up, and I feel 
fairly well satisfied. I think the natives here¬ 
about are opening their eyes, for one or two 
envious ones said, ‘That a Western man, who 
knew nothing about lots in New York, could 
not do much.’ The prices I am getting are fairly 
good, though not quite as much as I expected, 
but if the sales keep on at this rate I shall have 
no cause to complain. There is one good thing 
in New York, you find more cash buyers than 



24 


The American Boy 


I imagined. Nearly everyone has a roll, if pos¬ 
sible. I think I have struck it right and if all 
goes as I anticipate I shall make a comfortable 
fortune. I wish my brothers were in it with 
me, but that I suppose is impossible. We 
moved out here in April, have electric light in 
front of our ten roomed house and many trees 
in the yard, and only ten miles from the city, 
not so far as not to be in touch with city life.” 

“March, 1907—I am kept so busy with my 
lots I have not written. O. H., the actor, will 
probably buy my home on my property togeth¬ 
er with seven lots, for $7,500. 

“November 7, 1907—Lots are not selling as 
fast as they did, but I manage to do a little 
something, enough to pay my expenses. Ex¬ 
pect to do well in the spring, but it will be slow 
this winter. McKinley’s victory has revived 
business to some extent, already, and it ought 
to make things better, for a few years at any 
rate. We both enjoy it here in New York. 



The American Boy 


25 


‘‘September 27, 1898—I have about seven 
thousand dollars’ worth of lots to pass title on 
January 21st, after the payment I make next 
month I will reduce my mortgage from $137,- 
000 to $67,000, or one half. I have sold more 
than $6,000 worth of lots since April. I have 
only thirty-five lots left. I will have a man 
and wife to stay in my house all winter, so as to 
look after the house. I will either buy some 
more property or rest for a while and build 
some houses.” 



26 


The America?i Boy 


CHAPTER V. 

Paul’s Mother Visits Him. 

Paul’s mother, who is now a widow, went to 
New York to look over the situation and per¬ 
haps make her residence there. In one allot¬ 
ment there were 168 houses; some were three 
story, as the basement or cellar was built above 
ground because of water on the low ground in 
early spring. She found it settled mostly by 
Germans; one woman was driving her flock 
of geese along the street to house them. That 
nationality like good feather beds and cover¬ 
lids of feathers. She concluded Paul did not 
need her help. 

April 6, 1902—Paul wrote his mother: 

“Have just bought $55,000 worth of lots, north 
of my property; paid $7,500 down and am ow¬ 
ing $43,000 at 5 per cent interest. Had to pay a 
big price for them, but I will make a fair profit. 



7 he A metican Boy 


27 


“I have had several opportunities to trade 
Father’s summer home, but not just what I 
wanted.” Paul’s mother had made a visit to 
it, and the associations were so many and so 
real, she was heart-sick, and she said to him, 
“Sell it or trade it, for the house is old and the 
dock needs many repairs.” They traded it at 
last for lots near New York. Paul and his 
wife preferred to build on three large rocks a 
half mile below it, not far from the shore. They 
filled the spaces in with earth and stone and 
built a sea-wall and put on it a stone cottage, 
very modern, as they had a New York archi¬ 
tect plan it. The great steamers and tows and 
yachts of the St. Lawrence river pass very 
near it and in a wide enclosed porch, it is al¬ 
most like living out of doors. They also escape 
mosquitoes and flies, which cannot live in a 
strong breeze. 

February 8, 1903—Paul writes: “We leave 
for Mexico Wednesday next, spending a day in 
Havana, then go to Yucatan by way of Pro- 



28 


The American Boy 


greso, met brother and wife and her father and 
mother as they were about to sail for the Holy 
Land; wished them bon voyage. 

‘‘February 12, 1903—Progreso is half way 
between Havana and Vera Cruz. We have 
summer weather. The round trip is $116.00 
from New York. You ought to take it some 
time. Sold father’s cottage for sixty-nine lots 
in Rochelle. Putting in city water, gradings 
and sidewalks costing two thousand dollars. 
I think I can do something with them. 

“May 23, 1904—I am glad you are at the St. 
Louis Fair at Christian Endeavor Hotel. We 
sent your new dress to your home, better send 
for it. I enclose a newspaper slip, that the 
Egyptian Pasha is to be at the Fair, and the 
‘Cuba plant exhibit’ with tropical flowers are 
at the Palace of Forestry—hope you will see it. 

“December 1, 1904—We sail on the ‘Crete’ 
of the White Star line. On January 25th we 
take the ‘Meteor’ of the Hamburg American 



The American Boy 


29 


line for a trip to Corsica, Tunis, Algiers and 
other places. On board is a young man who is 
building a street railway on the island of 'Mal¬ 
ta.’ Arrived in Genoa yesterday and felt quite 
ashamed to see large steamers starting for 
South America, while we, in the U. S., have not 
a single line to South America. A protective 
tariff has killed our foreign trade; we prefer to 
live on each other. 

"The 'Meteor’ is used as a cruiser to Nor¬ 
way in the summer. It is the finest steamer 
made; carries no freight, none but first class 
passengers, and is fitted up like a big private 
yacht. We have a band of music and the best 
promenade deck I ever saw. About 140 pas¬ 
sengers are American and English, the rest are 
the better class of Germans. 

"January 25, 1904—Have arrived at Smyrna; 
the city is lighted up with electricity and looks 
modern in the distance, although one of the 
oldest cities in the world. The hills are cov¬ 
ered with snow. It generally costs us from 
six to ten dollars to see a town. 




SIRACUSA 



MALTA 











The A??ierica?i Boy 


31 


“We arrived at Malta last Thursday and as 
we entered the beautiful harbor in which were 
English battle-ships, armored cruisers and tor¬ 
pedo destroyers, surrounded by high fortresses 
and the city of Malta towering above, it was 
a sight worth the trip. Malta stands next to 
Gibraltar in being the strongest fortified place 
in the world. 

“Mrs. McElroy and her baby and nurse came 
out, in a small boat, to meet us and we were 
the first persons off the ‘Meteor/ After a 
drive about the town with its narrow but clean 
streets and fine views of the harbor, we took 
dinner with her and Mr. McElroy at their ho¬ 
tel. It seemed fine to have friends in this far- 
off place. Mr. McElroy is constructing an elec¬ 
tric street railway, and the ‘lift’, which he and 
his partner will own outright. 

“They built, by contract, the street railway 
in Glasgow, Scotland; Brighton, England, and 
other places. They own a tram line in New 
Zealand. He will retire on his fortune next 
year and settle in New York. He is under forty 



32 


7 he American Boy 


and has been living in London seven years, 
making it his headquarters. He says there are 
plenty of opportunities in Europe to build 
towns and that is the reason he left the United 
States. Malta has 10,000 English soldiers, be¬ 
sides a Navy. 

“January 15, 1904—We have just passed 
through the straits of the Dardanelles on our 
way to Constantinople. At Smyrna a boy 
called ‘American Charley’ talked very good 
English and I hired him by the day. We went 
first to the bazaar, bought some ‘gimcracks,’ 
drank Turkish coffee and ordered a couple of 
rugs for my New York office (cost fifty dol¬ 
lars) to be paid for when delivered. 

“We then went to the Armenian quarter, the 
French and Turkish quarters and entered the 
Mosque and located the Minaret. Some went 
to Ephesus, two hours away, by rail. 

“In Constantinople quantities of fish and 
game are sold on the street, wood-cock and 
pheasant are abundant; we had two of the lat¬ 
ter for lunch, as good as at Delmonico's. 




CONSTANTINOPLE 



SMYRNA 
















34 


The American Boy 


'American Charley’ took us into his house 
in Smyrma and they live in a nice part of the 
city. His sister’s house is bright and clean and 
she was sitting on the balcony of the second 
floor when she invited us, in Greek and Turk¬ 
ish, to come in and have a sip of cognac, which 
we did, as we were glad to see how they lived. 
The home was a very pretty one and clean. 
'American Charley’ said, 'We have a brother 
in New York who is a waiter,’ and he showed 
us his picture, and May recognized him in¬ 
stantly as the waiter at our hotel, who serves 
us occasionally, but who is the regular 
waiter for Mr. and Mrs. Tunis. We then re¬ 
membered this waiter, whose name was Socra¬ 
tes; he said he had a brother also in Athens, 
and another in Smyrna. 

"We arrived at Nice, a handsome resort on 
the Riviera, reminding one of Paris with its fine 
shops and cafes and a beautiful quay on the sea 
shore, several hundred hotels, parks and the 
handsomest villas I ever saw. 

"In the afternoon we went to Monte Carlo, 



'Ihe American Boy 


35 


had lunch and went into the Casino to see the 
roulette games, but did not try our luck. In 
the evening we left for Corsica, arrived in the 
morning. In Ajacio we saw the rooms and 
house were Napoleon was born, rode about 
town and took lunch at a hotel. It is a winter 
resort. The Germans appeared in tuxedos, the 
Americans in business clothes. I felt rather 
cheap. Ajacio has a good drive by the sea¬ 
shore, a boulevard and baths. Saw an old am¬ 
phitheatre built by the Greeks in 450 B. C., 
also the ancient temple of Serapis, built by the 
Greeks 600 B. C., as they first settled this coun¬ 
try, and were afterwards overcome by the Ro¬ 
mans. The fourth day we went to the island 
of Capri, which is the prettiest place of all 
of them; then went to the Naples Museum, 
and the next day to Sorrento, stayed over night 
and next day took the famous drive to Amalfi, 
the road in many places being cut into the 
cliff, and three or four hundred feet above the 
sea, although you could toss a stone from 
our carriage into it. We took lunch in 



36 


7 he American Boy 


an old convent, now a hotel, built by the Cap- 
pucine monks in the 12th century. Longfellow 
wrote a poem o,f Amalfi. It is a great rendez¬ 
vous for artists. At Sorrento we ordered a 
couple of oil paintings from an artist named 
Hay. After leaving Amalfi we drove along the 
coast to Vetri, where we took the train back to 
Naples. The roads were all macadamized and 
kept in good order. We had over twenty miles 
of carriage riding. We expect to see Isabel's 
Aunt in Algiers. 

“January 11, 1905—We arrived in Algiers 
and took a carriage immediately to see Miss 
Roberts. It is a fine hotel where the American 
colony is located. Miss R. had not finished her 
breakfast so we walked in the garden in front 
of the hotel under orange and palm trees. Miss 
R. is very bright and agreeable. We took a 
drive of two hours and then took lunch with 
her, and she secured a guide who took us 
through the Arab quarter, which was very 
dirty. The women wear veils and the costumes 



The American Boy 


37 


are decidedly Oriental. Algiers is a fine city, 
built on terraces, and was very interesting. We 
are indebted to Miss R. aand Miss L. for their 
hospitality. 

“We arrived in Tunis this morning and drove 
to the site of Carthage, once mistress of the 
Mediterranean. Quite a little remains, and 
excavations are being made right along. The 
Museum on the site of the old temple contains 
large numbers of columns, inscriptions and the 
various things used by the Phoenicians. It 
must have been a great city in its day. 

“While at the ruins we drove to Tunis, ten 
miles away, passing camels, Arabs by the hun¬ 
dred, and decidedly Oriental houses and scenes. 
Tunis is so picturesque we regret not staying 
there longer. I bought some Phoenician coins 
and a terra cotta lamp dug out of the ruins 
while we were there. We went through the 
Arab bazaar where they make rugs, Arabian 
jewelry, etc. I also got some of the Mosaic 
pavement, broken pieces of it are lying all over 
about the site of ancient Carthage. 




CARTHAGE 



ARABiAN VILLAGE NEAR CAIRO 









I he America?i Boy 


39 


“January 25, 1905—We went to Syracuse and 
I saw the old Greek Theatre hewn out of solid 
rock 2300 hundred years ago, also the amphi¬ 
theatre built by the Romans after they had 
subdued the Greeks. The latter had plays in 
this theatre, while the Romans had gladiator¬ 
ial exhibitions, and threw Christians to the 
wild beasts for amusement of the spectators. 
The rooms where the lions and tigers were 
kept connecting with the amphitheater are still 
in a good state of preservation. 

“We were in the catacombs of Syracuse, 
which are larger than those of Rome. They 
are a series of tunnels about seven feet high 
and six to eight feet wide, crossing each other, 
where the Romans buried their dead in side 
openings, storing them in a sarcophagus. It 
takes twenty-four hours of constant walking 
to go through them all, if you care to do so. 
They run over hills and in all directions, even 
to the sea. The rock was soft so it could be 
cut easily. We also saw the ancient quarries 
which are immense caverns, where the ancients 



40 


The American Boy 


dug out their rock, with which to build their 
cities and walls. One of them is shaped like 
an ear and Dionysius could hear every word 
his captive said, through an opening in the top. 
The guide tore a piece of paper, and you could 
hear it all over the ear-shaped quarry. In an¬ 
other quarry Dionysius placed 2,000 captive 
prisoners to die of starvation and Socrates, 
they said, was among those who died in this 
quarry. We also visited the museum. The 
ancients surpassed us in the use of statuary and 
marble. 

“This morning we arrived at Messina and 
after a short drive around the city took the 
train for Tasamonia, where is located the old 
theatre built by the Greeks 900 feet above the 
sea, on a sort of promontory, cut out of solid 
rock. It was a beautiful drive up there from 
the station. From one side of the theatre we 
could see Mt. Etna near by, and from the 
other the sea, which lay below. In fact you 
could see the sea from almost every side. We 
took lunch in a hotel, once a monastery, then 
drove about town and returned to Messina, 
getting on our boat at once.” 





ROME, ITALY 


VICTOR EMANUEL MONUMENT 


CATHEDRAL SAINT-JEAN, LYONS 

































42 


The America?i Boy 


CHAPTER VII. 

Rome and Monte Carlo. 

“February 5, 1905. Dear Mother:— 

“Am glad to hear you are taking a trip to 
Cuba; you would enjoy Mexico. We were in 
Rome eight days. We took drives three days, 
afterwards went by ourselves. The proprietor 
of the Grand Hotel is also owner of the Savoy 
in New York, and is a very pleasant young 
man.” 

“February 12, 1905—Leaving Florence we 
stopped a couple of hours at Pisa to see the 
Leaning Tower, and it was well worth seeing. 
We went to Genoa for a day and then went to 
Monte Carlo by boat. We were in the hotel 
facing the harbor and two handsome yachts 
were in it, owned, one by an Englishman, and 
the other by an American. We then went to 
Nice by the lower road and were driven home 



7 he American Boy 


43 


on the upper carriage road, which is about one 
thousand feet above the sea level and skirts the 
Mediterranean for at least twenty miles; it is 
a beautiful drive, and the road is kept in per¬ 
fect condition. A large number of automo¬ 
biles passed us, as it is one of the most famous 
drives in the world. 

“From Nice to here, you pass one handsome 
villa after another, all terraced and in palms 
and orange trees and flowers. 

“Last night we went to the Casino to watch 
the gambling, and it was quite a sight. There 
were about twenty roulette tables crowdedwith 
players in the immense Casino, and hundreds 
of people in evening clothes. I lost forty francs 
in about fifteen minutes, so I stopped, as the 
odds are too great in favor of the owners. The 
man who is foolish enough to try Wall Street 
has a better chance in Wall Street than here. 
I have worked too hard to make my money 
to throw it away on such games as roulette 
in Monte Carlo. 

“The villas are all built of stone, then plas- 



44 


The American Boy 


tered on the outside and painted, generally 
white, with red or fancy colored tile roofs and 
arranged in picturesque fashions. They are 
fireproof. Our people have much to learn in 
the way of substantial stone houses and good 
roads. 

“We saw the Crown Prince of Germany at 
the Hotel-de-Ville in Florence, when we took 
lunch there. He is a tall, thin young man and 
does not ‘look the part.’ We bought a couple 
of small oil paintings in Florence and a marble 
bust o,f Hermes. 

“We left Paris Saturday morning, February 
25th, and we will be in New York in one week 
on the ‘Lorraine/ This is a fine steamer, a 
splendid table, made 498 knots yesterday. May 
was the only woman at dinner Sunday, and she 
beats me as a sailor, as I did not feel very gay 
for a couple of days. I have sent you twenty- 
five colored postals. 

“New York, March 21, 1906—We have had 
two snow storms the past few days, and the 



The Avierican Boy 


45 


streets are filled with slush and snow—am gdad 
of your visit here and hope your new glasses 
will be of benefit. Dr. L. thought you were 
very original. He is a first class physician, was 
once a surgeon for the Union Pacific R. R., 
and has traveled in Japan and the far East.” 



46 


The American Boy 


CHAPTER VIII. 

Rosette Island, St. Lawrence River. 

“August 29, 1906—The cottage is so we can 
occupy it. The sea wall is being built and two 
large sail-scows bring dirt and next year we 
will have the sodding done. 

“New York, November, 1906—We have 
changed our office, for we needed more room. 
Have just bought another tract of land con¬ 
taining over one thousand lots. We shall sail 
on Thanksgiving Day for Egypt. 

“December, 1906. 'The Cedric'—There are 
270 first class passengers. Our party consists 
of five, Mr. and Mrs. C, Mrs. W. and our¬ 
selves. Our friends in New \ ork sent us flow¬ 
ers and fruit and a book. This is one of the 
largest boats in the world and very steady. 
Will stop a few hours in Gibraltar and land at 
Algiers. 



The American Boy 


47 


“December 26, 1906—We spent four days at 
Shepherd’s in Cairo and are now on one of 
Cooks’ steamers ‘Raineses,’ on our way up the 
Nile. We stopped yesterday at the ruins of 
Memphis and visited tombs built five thousand 
years ago. We had to ride donkeys back sev¬ 
eral miles from the shore and on the edge of 
the desert. The inscriptions were as plain as if 
made but one hundred years, and some of the 
colors also. Only kings and nobilities could 
afford tombs. We took lunch at the Gezarah 
Palm Hotel in Cairo, and I thought of your 
visit and father’s there in 1895. It is a hand¬ 
some place. 

“We are going as far as the second cataract 
and it will take us about three weeks to make 
the trip. I am quite sore from the long ride 
we had on the donkeys yesterday* as the sad¬ 
dle was hard. We each had a donkey-boy or 
native, who walked or ran the entire distance, 
but it did not seem to tire them. 

“Today we make no stops and are enjoying 
the sail in warm summer weather, although the 



48 


1 he American Boy 


nights are cool. It is a strange sight to see so 
many odd looking boats, the camels and na¬ 
tives on the shore, together with the tropical 
scenery. There are 72 passengers on board, 
half of whom are Americans and the balance 
mostly English, as quite a number came over 
with us, and we are having a pleasant time 
together. 

“January 29, 1907—If I told you what we 
had seen it would be too much like a guide 
book. So I have been sending you postals for 
your collection. Our hot weather lasted about 
three weeks. Every night the thermometer 
would get down to 40 or 48 and as there were 
no fires, you can imagine that it was far from 
comfortable. The sun shines every day and 
we enjoy the sights. 

“We left our friends at Assuan. The trip 
back from there took six days. We saw the 
temple of Abydos, which is famous, and on the 
walls was written, in hieroglyphics, the list of 
all the Egyptian kings, which enabled the 




LUXOR 



THEBES 
















50 


The American Boy 


Egyptians to know the date of the various rul¬ 
ers, and all the temples are being restored 
where necessary, leaving them in fine condi¬ 
tion for future generations. 

“We attended some races at Luxor, gotten 
up for the benefit of the local hospital, and 
found them very interesting, especially the 
camel races. I have had a couple of falls from 
donkeys, but they were not serious. Quite a 
number are sick, but principally from colds 
and fevers. 

“Generally a town has been built on top of 
the temples, and an immense amount of rub¬ 
bish has to be cleaned away by the Egyptian 
Exploration Fund. The dragoman takes the 
people ashore and explains everything, making 
it very interesting. He is a Syrian and talks 
many languages. Excavating is going on con¬ 
stantly and all the temples are well guarded, so 
that no damage is done by visitors. The coun¬ 
try we are now passing through is quite bar¬ 
ren, as the desert runs down to one side of the 
Nile, while, on the other, is only a narrow strip 



The American Boy 


51 


of green. The Egyptians certainly excel in 
stone work and it is wonderful the way in 
which they handle these immense stones or 
how they ever got them to the tops of their 
temples. The architecture was also fine and 
the proportion equally good. We saw the 
great obelisk that was cut on three sides and 
was never removed, and was partially buried 
in the sand. 

“Shepherd’s, Cairo, January 29, 1907— 

There were not many passengers coming down. 
We had some difficulty in getting a room. 
The grand ball occurred last night and was a 
very fine affiair. There were about a thousand 
people present. People from all over the 
world, many from South America. It was a 
great sight to see the various nationalities, also 
the handsome gowns of the ladies spark¬ 
ling with diamonds. We have met a number 
of friends here and of course we are glad to 
see them when so far from home. We took 
lunch again at the Gezarah hotel and enjoyed 



52 


7he American Boy 


it, and went out to the Pyramids once, before 
we left Cairo, as we wanted to fix it again in 
our minds. Have bought some draperies for 
the cottage, but not much, on account of the 
duties, and it makes a great deal to carry round 
with us. 

“Monte Carlo, March, 1907—We saw, here, 
some of the Vanderbilts, Mr. and Mrs. Leeds,— 
she who was Anne Stewart, Frank Munsey of 
Munsey Magazine, Henry Watterson, beside 
other well known people. The weather is fine 
here, having bright sunshine almost every day, 
and flowers bloom all winter. The nights are 
cold, but we can sleep all the better for it, as 
we do a great deal of walking, which makes us 
sleep well at night. The proprietors win such 
large sums that they pay all the taxes and the 
police, and it is the cleanest place I ever saw. 
I know enough French to get around and ask 
questions; studied it on the steamer more or 
less, but conversation is quite different from 
reading French. 



The American Boy 


53 


“Rosette Island, July 28, 1907—Brother is 
handling my business in good shape, and is 
just the person I needed. I have commenced 
to enlarge my boat house in order to get my 
new boat “Clarinda” into it. 

“September 4, 1908—We left Sunday for 
Montreal, passed through the Rapids and 
stayed one night at the Windsor Hotel. Have 
just finished seeing Ausable Chasm; something 
like Watkins Glen. 

“Will spend tonight on Bluff Point at Hotel 
Champlain, and in the morning take the boat 
through Lake Champlain and Lake George to 
Saratoga, where we will stay a day or two and 
leave by the Troy boat for New York. Dr. L. 
of New York was with us for one week. Frank 
Taylor inquired for you. 



54 


The American Boy 


CHAPTER IX. 

Third Trip to Europe. 

“January 7, 1908—On the R. M. S. ‘Caro- 
mia’; about 325 first class passengers are on 
board, so it is more like a hotel than anything 
else, and one is not apt to make many ac¬ 
quaintances. William Dean Howells, the nov¬ 
elist, and his wife are aboard, also Jacob H. 
Schiff and his wife, and a Mr. and Mrs. Mar¬ 
shall, from Lincoln, Nebraska. Mrs. Marshall 
says Cousin Halleck is considered one of the 
best lawyers in Nebraska. I left brother look¬ 
ing well and know he will run the business 
satisfactorily. I have an old college friend 
helping him. Will write you a line from Spain 
and send you a good many postals. 

“April, 1908.—We will arrive in New York 
tomorrow. We are having a fearfully rough 



I he American Boy 


55 


trip; if we had not had hurricanes, gales and 
storms we would have been in New York now, 
but giant waves came and we had to slow 
down for a while and change our course. 

'‘The first day it was fine and then the 
trouble commenced, but it will soon be over. 
They publish a daily paper aboard and I will 
mail you one, which contains an account of a 
woman’s club in Paris. I was attacked with 
influenza in the Riviera and had to see an Eng¬ 
lish doctor, who brought me around all right. 
We stayed in Paris ten days and saw Fred 
Glidden. I used to go to grammar school 
with him. There are a couple here whom we 
met in the Alhambra. We sit at the purser’s 
table; he is a very intelligent Frenchman who 
married an English wife. A Frenchman next 
to us, at the table, goes to New York every 
year, selling silks, as he has a very large silk 
factory in Lyons. This line has the best food 
of any on the ocean. 

"June 9th, 1909—Went to Ithaca for our 
twenty-fifth reunion. Saw Professor Crane. 



56 


The American Boy 


Ex-President White addressed us and came 
home on the same train with Walter C. Iveres, 
’79, also Ryder, ’78, who wished to be remem¬ 
bered to sister E., as did Morse, who graduated 
in ’84. We roomed at his house. Our class 
had one-third of its members present. 


“July 23, 1909—Am having more dirt put on 
the island, which now is a full acre. I had an 
Indian last week working for me; he is a good 
clock-watcher, and very lazy. We had Eng¬ 
lish, Swedish, Italian and an American work¬ 
ing for us and a German cook. 

“Do come to the Hudson-Fulton celebration 
in New York. We will take you to see the 
naval parade and the military procession. It 
will be a wonderful sight. You can get here 
September 21st, and stay ten days. Sixty-five 
war ships, from all nations, are to be in line. 
We shall never have such a novel parade again. 
I know you will enjoy it. Think it over and 
come, it will cost you nothing but railroad fare. 




AGRA, INDIA 



m j I g| 



Fif 





tap 

fill 

i mSf! 


SHANGHAI TEA HOUSE 













58 


The American Boy 


“December 8, 1909—We will sail on the 'Lu¬ 
sitania’ for England and go from there to Mar¬ 
seilles, where we will get a P. & O. boat on the 
27th for Bombay, and from there around the 
world. We shall try to stop with you, for a 
day, on our way back. Brother and wife in 
their trip around the world will arrive in San 
Francisco on February 5th, so we will not meet 
each other.. We are reading up on India, 
Japan and Burma. 

“January 10, 1910—We are now here in Del¬ 
hi, India. We then go to Agra, then Calcutta. 
It is cold here as we are in Northern India, on 
the foothills of the Himalayas. Most of the peo¬ 
ple in this hotel are English, with a sprinkling 
of Americans, among others, Col. Knox and 
his wife of New York, maker of Knox hats. 
May knows Mrs. Knox, so we met them today. 
I do not expect to come here again, but will not 
bother you with accounts of what we have seen 
as it would seem too guide-bookish. We 
stopped at a place called Abu, driving seven- 



The American Boy 


59 


teen miles into the mountains, an altitude of 
4,900 feet above the sea, to see a wonderful 
mosque. The old Indian Kings built some 
beautiful marble palaces and mosques that 
cannot be excelled for beauty by anything in 
modern architecture. 

“Coming on the boat, we met some Ameri¬ 
cans and have traveled with them until today, 
when we separated. We are not hurrying but 
stay as long as we wish, and have generally 
known pleasant people. 

“We have seen so many strange sights and 
things in India, it would be difficult to recount 
them; for instance, the Hindus venerate mon¬ 
keys and we have passed hundreds of them 
wandering in the fields, as large as big dogs, 
with enormous tails. Yesterday a lot of them 
came running along the stone wall within ten 
feet of our carriage, so May got a good snap 
shot of one as he stopped, on the wall, almost 
in front of her. In Jaipor we rode on elephants 
out to Amber to see the palace of an old Indian 
king. This is a good hotel, but most of the 



60 


The American Boy 


hotels in India are very poor, especially away 
from the large towns. 

“We have not heard from home, but hope to 
get some letters in Colombo, Ceylon, of 
Thomas Cook & Son. 

“April 4, 1910—We are on the Pacific ocean, 
Pacific Mail Co. steamship. We shall stop in 
San Francisco a couple of days and also go to 
the Yosemite Valley, if it is open, which we 
doubt. Pleasant weather has been with us 
since we left Yokohama. There are about 125 
passengers, mostly Americans, including quite 
a number of missionaries on their way home. 
Two of your city, Mr. and Mrs. L. L. Pope. 




FUJI MOUNTAIN, JAPAN 



ROSETTE ISLAND 













62 


The American Boy 


CHAPTER X. 

Japan. 

“Japan was very interesting. I hope we may 
be able to go back there again sometime. We 
went to see all the well known places like Ky¬ 
oto, Osaka, Kobe, Nikko, Kamakura, and other 
places. Sitting at our table was a retired army 
officer, and he gave us pointers about Japan. 
One of my classmates, Dr. Tsamaki Corswell, 
of Cornell ’84, is very prominent in Tokyo, and 
we had him take lunch with us. He invited us to 
dine with him, but we had another engage¬ 
ment. He is Director General of the Bureau of 
Finance and has been decorated by the Emper¬ 
or with the order of the Rising Sun, for his 
services in the war with Russia. 

“Mr. Melville E. Stone, head of the Asso¬ 
ciated Press, was given a private car by Baron 
Goto, in which to go to Nikko, and he very 
kindly invited us to go along. Baron Goto’s 



7 he American Boy 


63 


Japanese chef was also aboard, also a waiter 
and guards. It was a beautiful private car. 
Mr. Melville E. Stone and Miss Stone and May 
and I were all that were in the party. 

“Nikko is about six hours’ ride from Tokyo. 
We went up one day and remained at the hotel 
for a day, seeing the sights, and came back in 
the private car the next day, having our meals 
aboard. 

“Mr. Stone received a great deal of attention 
in Tokyo. The Japanese people are the most 
generous, polite and hospitable people in the 
world. 

“There is a case of smallpox aboard 
among the steerage, so we have been vaccin¬ 
ated by the ship surgeons. It is a mild case 
and there is no danger. Tomorrow being Tues¬ 
day we shall have two Tuesdays, for in cross¬ 
ing the Pacific, we cross the line fixed by 
Greenwich, where another day is necessary. 

“Some of the missionaries are very bright, 
intelligent people; there seem to be more 
Methodists than any others. I fear we will not 



64 


1 he American Boy 


be able to stop at Honolulu on account of the 
case of smallpox aboard. We have at our table 
a Mr. and Mrs. Grau of Brooklyn, whom we 
met last winter on a trip to the West Indies. 
They were on the same boat with us from New 
York to Trinidad, but this winter they took a 
trip around the world. 

“All the table and dining room stewards are 
Chinese, and they make splendid servants. It 
is a long trip across the Pacific, about eighteen 
days. I ought to get back to relieve brother ; 
he has worked hard and faithfully while we 
were away.” 

They stopped a few days with mother, 
bringing her presents of embroidered India 
silk for a waist, a ring and some brooches 
bought in Japan. 

“July, 1909—Do not worry about the Toledo 
property. Let matters stand as at present un¬ 
til Pomroy & Co. sell it. 

“July 19, 1910—We have had guests for 
three weeks, which it is a pleasure to entertain, 



The American Boy 


65- 


hut it is more or less of a strain, because we 
must look out for their entertainment, also see 
that everything goes right in the kitchen; some 
stay eight days, some nine, but a week is about 
right, up here, for we have to arrange for their 
pleasure. May is a treasure and you do not 
know what a lovely wife she is; no one like 
her. 

“June 9, 1911—Have sent a check to you for 
two, to visit us in June. 

“June 28, 1911—The nieces who came with 
you are pleasant, bright young ladies and we 
enjoyed their visit. Sorry you met with an ac¬ 
cident returning home. Had a call from A. L. 
S. Fifteen years ago he had a business and 
was probably spending twenty thousand a 
year. He wanted to sell his property in New 
York, all of which goes to show that people 
should save something as they go along. We 
are all apt to think the golden flood will keep 
on forever. 



66 


The American Boy 


“October 3, 1910—I recently traded off a lit¬ 
tle island I owned and also another I bought 
of Mrs. B. I did not need them and so dis¬ 
posed of them. 

“New York, October 13, 1910—Last Satur¬ 
day four of us took the automobile and went to 
the Aviator Meet at Belmont Park, Long Isl¬ 
and. It was a wonderful sight to see men rid¬ 
ing through the air in flying machines and 
handling them with perfect ease, some rising 
to an altitude of 6,000 feet. I never expected 
to see anything like it. There was an enormous 
attendance of people and automobiles; $72,000 
in prizes were offered. England and France 
had their crack aviators present. 

“I will buy another piece of property. The 
cost is high. Business is very bad, but we 
must not get out of goods. We are having 
high tariff, dull business, high prices, and high 
cost of living and the Trusts making money, 
but not many others. 

“I have just bought S3 acres north of New 



The A mericayi Boy 


67 


York, and there is a good deal to do. I enclose 
what we say in our bulletin, ‘Hudson Heights 
News.’ ‘When one goes to Hastings, Yonk¬ 
ers or Dobbs Ferry or Tarrytown, in fact at 
any place along the Hudson, within easy com¬ 
mutation distance, we find that the property 
on high ground within a short walk from the 
station, is all taken up, and to buy on high 
ground at a reasonable price is impossible, but 
at Hudson Heights there is a station on the 
property and the railroad has already carried 
you up 200 feet, away above the Croton 
aqueduct. In fact the railroad crosses the 
aqueduct at Dunwoodie, so that a short walk 
up the grade takes you to Mt. Hope station, to 
the highest ground at a minimum of effort. 

“ ‘It is not necessary to hire a cab or other 
conveyance. These are never on hand when 
wanted. If it rains they are sure to be all 
filled up, and besides they are expensive. 
The healthful and invigorating air and 
beautiful landscape of Hudson Heights is 
unsurpassed. Many of the views overlook 



68 


The American Boy 


the Hudson River. Others overlook the 
Nepperhon Valley for miles and miles. 
Owing* to the high altitude the property prac¬ 
tically is free from mosquitoes and malaria. On 
the high ground of Sawmill river John D. 
Rockefeller owns 6,000 acres, James Still¬ 
man 1,000 acres, James Butler 2,000 acres, 
Drexel and Morgan 1,500 acres, Helen Gould 
1,000 acres, not far from Hudson Heights. 

“ ‘The people say the advent of this Com¬ 
pany at Hastings three years ago was a good 
thing for the village, buying, as it did, a large 
tract of rough land, hard to develop, necessi¬ 
tating the blasting of streets for water and gas 
and sewer trenches through solid rock. 

“ Tt thereby developed a difficult tract of 
land, which will be the most picturesque and 
beautiful property in the surrounding coun¬ 
try. Its wide 80 foot boulevard, over one half 
mile in length, from Farragut Road to Mt. 
Hope station, is a great thing for Hastings, 
already it has become a thoroughfare. The 
plans of development are on a broad scale, 



7he American Boy 


69 


with a careful regard fpr the future growth 
of the section. 

“ 'The streets laid out follow the best 
courses. The wide boulevard is carried wind¬ 
ing down the hill on a long grade. Rosedale 
Avenue is carried on almost scientific lines 
straight through the old ice-ponds, though a 
cheaper method would have been to go round 
the pond with a narrow drive. 

“ 'Hamilton Avenue is also carried on a long 
and easy incline. When finished it will make 
an easy trucking road from Hastings, for the 
residents of the Heights. Overlook Road was 
also carefully planned after much thought was 
given to the subject. Thousands of dollars have 
been spent on surveys, so that the future of 
each street would be what it should be. Over 
two miles of cement sidewalk have been put 
down, water pipes have been put in all the 
streets. Maple trees were planted every thirty 
feet in the boulevard. These maple trees were 
seven years old and of very good, sturdy stock. 
California privet was planted along the rail- 



70 


The Anierica?i Boy 


road for 2,000 feet. This will, in a few years, 
make a beautiful privet hedge and hide th£ 
railroad to some extent, making the place look 
more like some private estate. Street 
signs, of enameled iron, have been placed 
at nearly all the street corners. These signs 
and posts are a very practical addition to the 
property and are handsome in appearance as 
well. While all this work was going on, the 
steam drills were hustling right along, blast¬ 
ing out cellars of the new residences. No one 
was delayed. When anyone was ready to 
build, the steam drills were on the job in no 
time, cellars were drilled for fifteen residences, 
all of which were done free of charge, as per 
agreement. The Company now feels that Hud¬ 
son Heights has such tremendous headway, 
that nothing can stop its future growth. It is 
convenient to stations, to trolley, to schools, 
stores, churches and to all things; with the im¬ 
provements already on the property and those 
yet to be completed or put in, the location is 
the most advantageous available north of New 
York City. 



The American Bay 


71 


“ ‘Go where you will along the Hudson, to 
Yonkers, Hastings, Dobbs Ferry or Tarry- 
town, and it’s a long walk from the station to 
any lots to be obtained at reasonable prices. 
No system of bus service can possibly be main¬ 
tained, at a reasonable cost to the property 
owner. 

“ ‘Hudson Heights has a station right on the 
property at Hastings, known as Hudson 
Heights. No bus service is necessary, the res¬ 
idents will save all this, thereby increasing the 
value of their property thousands of dollars. 

“ ‘Near Mt. Hope is the Sawmill River; the 
residents of Hudson Heights discovered a fine 
bathing pool in it and during the hot summer 
months, everybody went in for a cool swim. 
The Company of Hudson Heights will enlarge 
this pool and put it in good shape for the use of 
residents, exclusively; and will also put cement 
steps from the road down to the pool and erect 
a small bath house. 



72 


The American Boy 


TO BUILD A BOULEVARD ALONG THE HUDSON. 

“ ‘A grand boulevard to parallel the Hudson 
River, and expected to be one of the first in the 
country, is predicted by the citizens in this vi¬ 
cinity, and will begin shortly. A number of 
shade trees will extend in the middle of the 
boulevard from one end to the other. The 
boulevard will take the place of the old Abbey- 
Post-Road on Broadway, as it is now called. 
The thoroughfare is now thirty feet wide, but 
it is proposed to make it sixty feet in width, 
with about ten feet of parkway in the center. 

“ 'On Saturday afternoon and Sunday, one 
of our agents, wearing a red badge will stand 
in the waiting room of the New York Central 
one-half hour before train time, 10:45 and 2 P. 
M., at 125th street, aud will give free transpor¬ 
tation which takes you direct to the station 
and saves walking.’ ” 

GOOD HEALTH. 

The Physicians all prescribe outdoor life and 
plenty of exercise. All our great public men 



The American Boy 


73 


have vigorous constitutions, as their vitality 
runs down so does their usefulness. 

If you wish for success in business or pub¬ 
lic life, live in good surroundings. Country 
boys as a rule make better men than city boys. 
To them the city means a new world to con¬ 
quer. Paul has seen the great drives at Monte 
Carlo and at Naples and he proposes to have a 
similar one along the Hudson River. The 
Bronx, where he had his one hundred and thir¬ 
ty-seven acres, has grown more than any other 
suburb in New York, and now he has taken a 
a more expensive tract, has a fine large school 
house erected, and is having very elegant vil¬ 
las as seen in Monte Carlo, not plastered 
white with red tiled roofs, but o,f popular and 
most modern designs. 

The reason why these people have bought in 
this section is because the altitude is high, the 
air is invigorating, the country is well 
wooded, and there are beautful views in all di¬ 
rections. Those who have already bought in 
Hudson Heights know that their ground is 



74 


The American Boy 


equally as high in altitude as those above men¬ 
tioned, and is equally as good, the air just as 
invigorating, and it could not be more beauti¬ 
fully wooded. Besides this, Hudson Heights 
is very much nearer to New York City. In fact, 
the time table calls for less than one hour from 
Mt. Hope Station to Rector Street, New York, 
on the elevated. 

His trip through Greece in the winter of 
1911 revealed to him the wasted energies of 
the Austrian Emperor who built fifty-eight 
forts on the Adriatic now falling to decay. 

The Olympian Theatre restored, with its 
marble seats and accommodation for thou¬ 
sands at its festivals. Again in 1912, he is vis¬ 
iting South America, whose citizens he met in 
Paris and Cairo and who always had plenty of 
money, but to the Yankee Boy New York is 
preferable to all other cities for a residence* 

M. P. R. 


































































































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